The One(s) I Can't Betray
by heiwakarakurenai
Summary: Kudo Shinichi was troubled that his pretty girlfriend Toyama Kazuha didn't get along with his best friend Hattori Heiji. While Shinichi tried to fix the relationship between Kazuha and Heiji, a secret, forbidden chemistry started to ferment between K&H. Who was meant for whom, after all? A story of love, betrayal, and friendship. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1: My Best Friend's Girlfriend

**Chapter 1. My Best Friend's Girlfriend**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Detective Conan characters.**

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 **This is a story that assumed a very different starting point for the four best friends in DC, i.e., Shinichi and Kazuha started as a couple. Other assumptions: Shinichi and Ran were still childhood friends who grew up together, but while Ran had romantic feelings for Shinichi, the feelings was not reciprocal; Okita Souji and Kazuha were childhood friends growing up together.**

* * *

"Hattori, this is my girlfriend, Toyama Kazuha."

Hattori Heiji could never forget the first time he was introduced to Toyama Kazuha.

* * *

That year, he started a brand new chapter of his life as a college student of Touto University.

That year, he finally got to meet and befriend his counterpart and rival Kudo Shinichi, aka, the Detective of the East, in flesh.

Both young men had known each other by reputation and secretly compared oneself with each other. After all, it couldn't be helped. Not just themselves, but almost all the major media in Japan constantly compared the Detective of the East Kudo Shinichi with the Detective of the West Hattori Heiji. They had their respective fan clubs, which had a good overlap since girls admire their many common traits: smart, handsome, athletic, and of course, arrogant.

Well, before they met, they had already known a great deal about each other. Not only did they have so many afore said and unsaid commonalities, but also because they faithfully read the cases that each other had solved over the years. Between them, there was undeniably a sense of rivalry, but more of it was probably wholehearted, mutual admiration. After all, both of them respect well-tuned brains.

And finally, they got to meet each other at Touto University.

Although it was the first time they met, there was no need for prototypical greetings and self-introductions.

Let's put it this way, they could instantly see themselves in each other, with the exception of skin color: Kudo was pale, and Hattori was tanned. Together, they made a good contrast.

* * *

"So, Hattori, do you have a girlfriend?" With a smirk on his face, Shinichi suddenly switched to a less bloody topic, after discussing a good number of tough cases that drew their mutual attentions recently.

"No." Heiji squinted, and felt some sort of challenge in this seemingly casual question, "Why?"

"Just asking." Shinichi shrugged, with the smirk still on his face, "I was thinking if you had a girlfriend as well, we could have double date sometime."

"You mean, you have a girlfriend?" Heiji sneered. "I thought you are a playboy type, with a fan club as big as mine."

"You misjudged me, playboy. I am a loyal family guy." Shinichi ridiculed his new friend, "We may be equal in solving cases. But I am ahead of you in terms of love life." Shinichi absentmindedly stirred the cup of latte in front him, the victorious smile still lingering on his face.

"Ano …" Heiji squinted again, "I wonder what kind of girl could attract a guy that is nearly as perfect as me."

"You will see, you arrogant playboy." Shinichi laughed, "She is very pretty and very smart, perfect for me." He looked at his watch, "She will come any minute now. I asked her to join us after her Aikido practice today."

"Aikido?" Heiji raised his eyebrow, "That sounds violent. I thought you would prefer the sweet and gentle type."

"Sweet and gentle? Is that your type?" Shinichi's blue eyes widened a bit. He was apparently interested in hearing more on this topic from his Western counterpart. As much as they were alike in so many things, would it be possible that they also liked the same type of women?

"Well …" Heiji didn't know how to answer. Frankly speaking, he didn't really know what was his type. There was a certain girl that he considered as his first love. But it was such a long time ago and he didn't even know her name. What was his type now? It was not a question that he could answer himself.

"Anyway," Noticing that the dark-skinned detective probably had no real answer for this question, the pale-skinned detective went on talking about his own girlfriend, "I don't find a girl doing Aikido violent. In fact, I find her quite sexy in her Aikido uniform …"

"Shinichi!" A loud, high-pitched voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.

Heiji looked up, and saw a girl with pony tail grabbed Shinichi by the ear, her emerald eyes almost shooting daggers, "Don't use pervert language to describe me!"

"My dear please …" Shinichi put his hand over hers that was grabbing his ear, and then gently held it, "I am sorry … but it is your fault to be so se…" Thinking about why his ear became so red, he quickly changed his wording, "so attractive …" With that, he smiled and gently hugged her.

"Shinichi!" the girl's face turned red and quickly pushed Shinichi away, "We are in public! And your friend is right here watching …"

Looking at these two lovebirds, Heiji's eyes turned half-moon.

 _So Kudo's real purpose to meet him today was to show off his sexy girlfriend?_

While Kudo was still busy placating his girlfriend and the girl still busy scolding her boyfriend, Heiji had a chance to check up the girl carefully from head to toe: high ponytail with green ribbons, porcelain skin, long and curly eye lashes, emerald eyes, small cherry lips, not-too-big and not-too-small breasts, lean figure, long legs …

Well, judging from the outside, she could certainly pass as a beauty.

But still, that didn't change his first impression of her – a loud and violent woman.

* * *

While the two finally settled their sweet little dispute, Shinichi made the introduction.

"Hattori, this is my girlfriend, Toyama Kazuha."

And they shook hands. But the moment the two hands touched, Heiji felt an indescribable softness that he didn't want to let go.

"Ano …" Kazuha got a bit embarrassed after a long 30 seconds, "Hattori-kun, could you please … let go?"

"Ah, sorry." Heiji blushed and instantly retrieved his hand.

"I see …" Shinichi noticed Heiji's way too obvious embarrassment and awkwardness. He grinned, "Jealous that I have a girlfriend while you don't?"

"Of course not!" Heiji denied without thinking, "Who would be jealous of someone with such a bad taste to fancy such a violent aho?"

"Violent? Aho?" Now Kazuha's eyes turned half-moon.

"Hattori!" Frowning at Heiji, Shinichi pulled his dear girlfriend into his arms, "How can you be so rude to Kazuha?"

"Ok, my bad …" Heiji knew it was his fault to give a girl such an unkind comment when they just met, especially given she was a real beauty by all standards. But somehow he couldn't hold his tongue at that moment. He grumbled and quickly offered a nice gesture to rescue himself from the social awkwardness, "To show my apology, let's go to dinner later and the treat is mine."

"Ok, apology accepted." Kazuha beamed while hearing the dinner offer. Not sure why, but her smile struck Heiji like lightning. _Have I met her before?_

"Sounds good. I assume the restaurant is of our choice?" Shinichi grinned naughtily.

"Of course." Heiji tried to appear more gentleman than he really was, "What type of restaurants do you like?"

"Ano …" Kazuha smiled at Shinichi, "Shinichi always like to take me to upscale places …" Shinichi smiled lovingly at her and gave her a light peck on the cheek.

 _Damn it, you two!_ _Don't push it too far!_

The sight made Heiji really annoyed. But he couldn't tell what he was annoyed about exactly.

Draining his bank account?

Blatantly showing off their love in front a pathetic, girlfriendless bachelor?

Or both?

"But Shinichi," Kazuha winked at her boyfriend, "You know I would be just as happy eating at a cheap takoyaki stand …"

"Takoyaki?" Heiji raised his eyebrow, "That's my favorite food!" He suddenly felt happy at the sudden discovery of her shared culinary preference.

"I know a good takoyaki place in Shinjuku." He grinned. "Well, although it is still not comparable to the ones in Osaka, but it is the best in Tokyo."

"Really?" Kazuha's eyes sparkled. She turned to her boyfriend and almost pleaded, "Shinichi, shall we try it?"

"Of course," Shinichi kissed her cheek again, "Wherever you like."

* * *

"Yummy!" Kazuha exclaimed while chewing her first takoyaki at dinner.

"I told you it is good, right?" Heiji was pleased that Kazuha liked his restaurant choice. But he also wanted to make sure his detective friend also liked it so he turned to ask Shinichi, "Do you like it, Kudo?"

"It is good." Shinichi gave a polite smile. Takoyaki tasted not bad, although not as good as lemon pie, his favorite food. But he was happy as long as his dear girlfriend liked it.

"It is not his favorite food, but Shinichi does not hate it, right?" Kazuha gently put her hand over Shinchi's. She understood what Shinichi was thinking and appreciated his thoughtfulness for always going with her preference.

"Next time when we go to Kyoto, I will take you guys to my favorite takoyaki place there." Picking up another yummy takoyaki from her plate, Kazuha extended an invitation to both detectives. She then turned to look at Shinichi and gave him a loving gaze, "Even you haven't been there, Shinichi."

"Are you from Kyoto?" Something suddenly hit Heiji inside.

 _Kyoto? Could she be …_

"Well, we have moved from place to place. I was actually born in Osaka, like you."

Of course Kazuha knew the Detective of the West was from Osaka.

Still chewing and happily savoring the yummy food, she continued mumbling "But my family moved to Kyoto when I was three. And two years ago I moved to Tokyo and transferred to Teitan, the same high school as Shinichi." She turned to smile at her handsome boyfriend again, "Right, Shinichi?"

"I see …" Heiji nodded, still trying to make some sort of connection in his mind. "No wonder you have some Kansai accent …"

Kazuha spent most of her time staring at her plate. But for a moment she realized the dark-skinned detective's eyes were fixed on her, probably for a while already.

"Why staring at me?" She frowned, feeling not quite comfortable with the gaze.

"I am thinking … Have we met before?" Heiji did not notice the slight annoyance in the girl. He was still thinking hard about his own question.

"Yes we have." Kazuha shrugged, feeling a bit relieved that her boyfriend's new friend was just thinking about that. She of course met him before, multiple times actually, but she was almost sure that he didn't remember her in those occasions.

"Is that right?" Heiji raised an eyebrow. But soon his eyes turned half-moon, "Don't tell me you saw me on TV or newspaper."

"Eat your own ego." Kazuha threw him a quick glance of ridicule. It was not that she had any particular dislike for arrogant people. Shinichi was arrogant in his own way, after all. But she somehow felt a bit annoyed by this dark-skinned new friend of her boyfriend.

"I saw you at the National High School Kendo Tournament every year." She suddenly smirked, "And saw you losing to Souji in the finals three years in a row."

"Souji?" Heiji frowned at this name. "You mean Okita Souji from Senshin High School?" Okita Souji was his biggest rival in the Kendo Dojo. He did not feel proud to have lost to that guy in the past three years.

"Yes." Kazuha couldn't have felt any more proud, "I attended Senshin in Kyoto before I moved to Tokyo, and Souji and I have been best friends forever."

"I go to all of Souji's kendo games." She winked at Heiji, feeling victorious, "So of course I have seen you, Hattori Heiji, who have lost to my best friend in finals in the past three years."

"Now that you mention it …" Heiji frowned, recalling seeing the girl with high ponytail cheering for Okita from the audience. Well, it was actually hard not to notice her at the kendo games, as she was obviously quite close to Okita, handing him towels and water bottles during breaks, and bandaging his wounds after the games. He never asked his opponent before, but he assumed she was Okita's girlfriend.

But she just said they were just "friends."

* * *

"Don't take it as an offense." Kazuha continued talking with an elevated spirit, entirely oblivious of Heiji's slight grumpiness, "But every time before Souji's game, I go to the Kiyomizutera and pray that you lose to Souji."[1]

Heiji frowned. How could he not be offended by such a comment?

"I am sure my club of fangirls pray exactly the opposite." That's the best fight back he could think of on top of his mind.

"Souji has a large crowd of fangirls as well." Kazuha was quick to counter, "I guess Japanese girls prefer his type. You know, the pale-skinned type."

Heiji frowned again at her comment. He was now definitely annoyed.

"You defend Okita as if he is your boyfriend." He turned to his detective friend for help, "Kudo, discipline your girl!"

"Hattori!" Shinichi raised an eyebrow. He could see that his Western counterpart was a competitive guy. Obviously as much on Kendo field as on crimes scenes.

"Souji and I are merely childhood friends." Kazuha shrugged. It was true that Okita and her were quite close. They attended the same school all the way from kindergarten to high school, until Kazuha moved to Tokyo. Since they lived quite close by, they commuted to school almost everyday and also spend quite a lot of together on weekends. People always joked about their relationship, calling them a married couple, but Kazuha knew that as much as she liked Okita, the feeling was not at all romantic.

She was embarrassed in the beginning as these gossips were overwhelming and never subsided. A handsome samurai and a pretty Aikido champion, what a nice couple! But by and large, she got used to it and knew how to respond it quickly and composedly.

Heiji, for some reason, felt a little bit relieved at her comment. But then he realized another problem:

"How do you manage to find a boyfriend that has exactly the same face as your 'merely childhood friend'?"

"Hattori!" Shinichi almost yelled. True, he himself found it quite annoying when he saw Kazuha's best friend for the first time. He couldn't believe how alike they looked that he even wondered if his father had an affair and produced this half-brother. Of course, that assumption was vehemently dismissed by his parents.

Kazuha looked at Heiji with even more annoyance. Well, she was also surprised by the physical resemblance between Shinichi and Okita in the first place and that question couldn't be helped. But somehow Heiji put it in the most annoying way.

"Souji and Shinichi may have the same face." She still tried to keep her composure. "But they are very different people. Souji is a most caring friend and the best swordsman, but –"

She paused a little bit, and turned to Shinichi with a bright smile, "But I always know I will be with a detective, be it a police detective or a private eye."

She gave Shinichi a naughty wink, "My Dad is a policeman, after all. And I am no stranger to crime scenes and mysteries. I like to see Shinichi solving cases."

"You Dad is a policeman?" Heiji raised an eyebrow.

"Kazuha's dad is the Chief Criminal Investigator of the Metropolitan Police." Shinichi explained on behalf of Kazuha, seeing his girlfriend's more or less unwillingness to further carry out any more conversations with the dark-skinned boy.

"Chief Criminal Investigator? Your Dad is Toyama Ginshiro?" Heiji was apparently no stranger to the high rank officers in the Metro Police.

"Yes." Shinichi nodded.

"Hey I know Toyama ji-han!" Heiji's spirit was suddenly elevated, having finally found some other connections with Kazuha, "He used to be the Chief Criminal Investigator of Osaka Prefectural right? My dad was his immediate boss."

"What are you trying to imply?" Kazuha, on the other hand, was not pleased with any type of connections with this ahou at this point, "My dad is inferior to yours?" She squinted.

"No!" Heiji couldn't believe why she was thinking so negatively, "I am just trying to think if we met as kids since our dads were colleagues …"

"Maybe …" Kazuha shrugged and looked away from him "But sorry, I was too little that time and I really don't remember much about Osaka."

* * *

Shinichi sighed hopelessly. As much as he enjoyed finally meeting his Western counterpart, it was obvious that his girlfriend did not get along with the dark-skinned detective …

Too bad … he had hoped to spend more time with Heiji solving cases together, now that the Detective of the West was also in Tokyo and attending the same college with him. But what should he do if his girlfriend detested being around when Heiji was there?

Shinichi definitely hoped that their friendship could take a turn for good, hopefully sometime soon.

To be continued ...

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 **What do you think? Please read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2:Ambivalent Revelation

**Chapter 2: Ambivalent Revelation**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own any DC characters**

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 **Shinichi recalls how he and Kazuha met for the first time. And Heiji finally finds out his own first meeting with Kazuha.**

 **What do you think? Please review!**

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"Why do you like her?"

The Detective of the East raised an eyebrow at the question of his Western counterpart. Of course he knew the "she" his friend was referring to.

"I just like her." Shinichi grinned, conjecturing the image of his beautiful girlfriend in his head.

"Come on Kudo." The Detective of the West obviously wanted to push for more.

"Why do you want to know?" Shinichi raised an eyebrow. Now it was obvious to him that his girlfriend did not like his newly befriended detective buddy. He couldn't count how many times Kazuha had complained to him about how annoying Heiji was during their first meeting.

Well, he guessed the loathing was probably mutual.

"Well …" Heiji's mouth twitched slightly. How could he put it?

"I … I want to know what kind of girls I would like to date …" He looked away from Shinichi, trying to hide his embarrassment, "You know, I think you and I are similar in some way …"

Shinichi nodded. _Souka ..._

Now that he had spent quite some time with his Western counterpart, Shinichi saw more and more similarities between them and he was pleased to see a good friend in Hattori Heiji.

He couldn't agree more. Yes, he and Heiji were similar in many ways.

"So you think because we are similar we will also like the same type of girls?"

"Maybe …" Heiji was thankful that his skin tone nicely covered up the slight blush on his face.

"Well, Kazuha is pretty. Isn't she?" Shinichi started with the obvious.

"Well, she is. But I am sure you are surrounded by many pretty women, including actresses." Heiji smirked. "I heard a rumor about you and the famous actress Ueto Aya."[1]

"Rumor is just rumor. There is nothing between Ueto-san and me." Shinichi smirked. "I also heard rumors about you and the Karuta Queen Ooka Momiji.[2] Did you two really have a thing? I heard you were engaged."

"We were not!" Heiji put his palm on his forehead, feeling a little bit helpless, "That woman misheard what I said when we were kids!"

"And just for your information, I don't like blondes with big boobs." Frowning, Heiji let out a sigh, "Anyway, I didn't feel there was any chemistry … Hey wait, I thought we were talking about Kazuha-chan!"

"Ok, ok …" Shinichi also realized they were off topic now, "Well, Kazuha's beauty is different from other pretty girls. For example, her ponytail look is very fresh and cheerful."

"That I agree …" Heiji nodded. So he should look for girls with ponytails?

"What else?"

"I like her personality …"

"Her personality?" Heiji interrupted. _That's exactly what he dislikes!_

"Yes, her personality." Shinichi nodded with a smile of contentment on his face. "Very cheerful, like her ponytail."

"Well, I have to say you know how to put a positive spin on things." Heiji sneered, "If you see being aggressive is the same as being cheerful …"

"Hattori!" Shinichi frowned, "Don't insult my girlfriend!"

"If you know more about her, you will see she is a very caring person. She …" Shinichi sighed, his tone also softening, "she sometimes cares too much about others, too much to the extend that ... that it could hurt herself."

Talking about that, Shinichi really had a lot in his mind.

 _Kazuha, really, thinks too much about her friends …_

* * *

"And she was also brave." Smiling, Shinichi added one more good trait of his girlfriend.

"Kazuha and I actually met once when we were 9." Recalling their first meeting, Shinichi smiled with affection, "My parents took me to visit some family friends in Kyoto, and we happened to bump into a murder case …"

"Of course, a murder case." Heiji smirked. He knew Shinichi's father Kudo Yasuku was a world renowned mystery writer. Yasuku had helped the police many times, including once at Osaka helping Heiji's father Hattori Heizo solving a child kidnapping case.

"So you have been attracting dead bodies since such a young age?" He ridiculed, "Or it was like father, like son?"

"Whatever." Shinichi shrugged. He had been immune to such accusations. After all, he himself had to admit that dead bodies just kept dropping all over the places wherever he went.

"It was a very serious serial murder case, so Kazuha's Dad, who was the Chief Criminal Investigator of Kyoto Prefectural Police Headquarter at that time, was at the crime scene. And Kazuha …"

"Yes, and I was instructed by both our dads to keep this little detective freak entertained while the grown-ups were busy investing the case." A familiar female voice cut into the boys' conversation.

Both detectives looked at the source of the voice.

Kazuha, who was again in her Aikido uniform and still sweating, just entered the café and sat down next to Shinichi at the table.

"Talking about how we met?" Kazuha turned to Shinichi, without even saying hi to Heiji.

"Kazuha!" Shinichi was happy to see his girlfriend but at the same time surprised, "I thought you .."

He paused here, as he was about to say "I thought you don't want to be around Hattori", but he managed to swallow it.

"Am I welcomed here?" Kazuha smiled at her boyfriend. She obviously knew what was on his mind.

"Of course you are!" Shinichi smiled at her and put an arm around her shoulder. "I miss you, really. Haven't had dinner with you for quite a while …"

"That's because you would rather have dinner with this dark-skinned octopus." Kazuha rolled her eyes at Heiji.

"Aho!" Heiji stood up from his seat angrily, "You want to pick a fight with me the moment you see me?"

"Sorry, my bad." Kazuha shrugged off Heiji's yelling at her. Yes, she sort of intentionally picked the fight. She was also annoyed that she hadn't been spending much time with Shinichi, all because her boyfriend now enjoyed hanging out with his new detective friend, a lot.

"I am not going to pretend that I like you," She looked at Heiji coldly, "But since my boyfriend likes to hang out with you, I guess I have to make compromises."

"Shall I say thank you for making such a big sacrifice?" Heiji ridiculed back. He would be an aho if he was pleased to hear what Kazuha just said.

"You better do." Kazuha shrugged, "And I promised I will make an effort not to bicker with you, for the sake of Shinichi."

Shinichi felt caught in the tension between his girlfriend and his best friend. But as much as the relationship between the two was not good, he was relieved to hear that Kazuha was willing to make a change.

* * *

"Anyway, Kazuha, shall we continue telling Hattori when we first met ten years ago?" Shinichi smiled at Kazuha, as gentle as ever, "We were talking about the serial murder case and our dads left us aside …"

"And you always tried to sneak back to the crime scene, and I had to keep a close eye on you as instructed by our dads." Kazuha chuckled. She couldn't help laughing while recalling what happened back then. She had to admit that she had liked this detective freak since then. "And during the one minute that I had to go to the bathroom, this guy ran away from me and ended up being kidnapped by one of the murderers who fled the scene."

She laughed again and patted Shinichi on the shoulder, "If not for my Aikido at that time, there would be no Detective of the East now."

"That's not true!" Shinichi was embarrassed and instantly protested, "I could have saved myself even if you didn't run after us!"

"…" Kazuha didn't say anything. She just looked at Shinichi and pouted.

And that worked well on Shinichi, every time.

"Of course I am grateful for your help, dear …" Seeing the pouting of his girlfriend, Shinichi's tone softened instantly.

"I know you are." Kazuha smiled at him. She was not really annoyed. She didn't intend to hurt her boyfriend's ego anyway.

Relieved that he didn't irritate his girlfriend, Shinichi let out a sigh of relief and explained to Heiji, "At that time, Kazuha had no time to go back to our dads for help so she chased on her own and used her Aikido to beat up the kidnapper." With that, he reached out and hugged Kazuha gently.

"A violent woman since childhood …" Heiji commented grumpily. He couldn't tell why, but he was probably annoyed by the couple's open display of affection.

"Aho!" Now it was Kazuha who stood up from the seat and yelled at her bickering opponent.

"Ok, you two …please calm down, calm down." Shinichi felt some serious headache when he heard Heiji's comment, and he knew Kazuha would definitely react the way she did. Couldn't the two maintain peace for more than ten minutes?

"Hattori, if you continue to insult my girlfriend, you would have to treat us again. Understood?"

"Ok …" Heiji grumbled. He knew this time the fault was on him.

"Not fair … she also insulted me …" He muttered in a low voice and looked away from the couple sitting across the table.

* * *

To Shinichi's satisfaction, for a while Kazuha and Heiji didn't fight much. At least, there were no major fights. A few rounds of "aho"-calling were inevitable, but they reached a point that all three of them felt the word "Aho" not that insulting anymore, at least when Kazuha and Heiji called each other so.

The three of them settled into a routine to spend most of their free, awake time together. The only exception was when Shinichi and Heiji had to run to crime scenes.

"Sorry Kazuha, but Hattori and I …" Shinichi looked apologetically at his girlfriend. The three of them were already in the movie theater and about to watch the new _Murder on the Oriental Express_ , but while they just paid for the tickets, Shinichi received a call from Inspector Megure.

"Case?" Kazuha looked at her boyfriend, disappointment filled her beautiful emerald eyes. She was too used to situations like that. Quick Or, still not quite used to it.

"I am really sorry dear, I promise I will take you to watch it next …"

"It is not about the movie, Shinichi …" Kazuha interrupted her boyfriend. Looking at him intently in silence for a few seconds, she took a deep breath:

"Can I … go with you guys?"

"No dear." Shinichi shook his head without hesitation. "It is too dangerous."

"But you know I have Aikido …" Kazuha protested, with a signature pout that would usually work in her negotiation with her boyfriend.

"No dear." This time, the pout did not work on Shinichi at all. He was as resolute as ever, "I cannot risk your life."

Kazuha lowered her head in silence. After a long 30 seconds, she finally murmured in a very low voice: "Take care, you two."

"I am really sorry, Kazuha …" Shinichi looked at the sad Kazuha with worry, but he couldn't stay for too long to comfort her. The case couldn't wait.

"Don't worry about me." Kazuha finally raised her head to look at Shinichi in his eyes, "I will just watch the movie by myself."

With that, she tried to put on a bright smile and waved good bye to her boyfriend and his best friend.

* * *

Shinichi and Heiji jumped on Heiji's motorbike to race to the crime scene. While speeding through the heavy weekend traffic, Heiji couldn't erase the picture of Kazuha's sad eyes from his mind. He felt he understood why she was so sad, but he was afraid his best friend, aka, her boyfriend, didn't quite get it.

"Kudo …" He finally decided to talk about it, "Kazuha really wants to come with you."

"So?" Shinichi, sitting on the backseat of Heiji's motorbike, raised an eyebrow. But Heiji couldn't see his expression.

"So bring her along!"

 _At least, that's what I would do, if she were my girlfriend._

"Are you crazy Hattori?" Shinichi shook his head and sighed. "You don't have a girlfriend and you have no idea how important Kazuha is to me. I cannot see her getting hurt if she is involved in any of my cases."

"I know your point, but …"

"There is no 'but', Hattori." Shinichi interrupted his detective friend firmly.

To him, this question had a definite answer, and that would not change in any case.

* * *

Kazuha couldn't sleep at all.

Shinichi and Heiji had gone for over four hours, and she had received zero calls or messages from them.

She couldn't call them, because she knew very well they shouldn't be interrupted and distracted while solving cases.

Even the slightest distraction could mean life and death, in many situations.

So she could only wait anxiously, like she had always been since they started dating.

It was already past midnight, and still no news from the two young detective.

She had a really bad hunch, for some reason.

When finally her cell phone rang, flashing the caller ID "Shinichi," Kazuha let out a sigh of relief and picked up right away.

"Shinichi?"

"Kazuha-chan …"

Kazuha felt her heart skipped a beat.

The voice on the phone was not Shinichi.

"Kazuha-chan, it's me, Hattori."

"Heiji ... kun?"

"Kazuha-chan, Can you come to Totou hospital now …" The person on the other side of the line was audibly shaky, "Kudo was shot …"

 _Silence._

Heiji didn't know how to react to silence like that.

Then he heard sobbing sounds.

"Kazuha-chan, are you crying?" Hearing the sobbing sounds in the phone, Heiji got really nervous. But he didn't know how to handle situations like that. Nobody had taught him how to comfort a crying girl.

"Don't cry …"

That's all he could say.

Thinking for a bit, he added: "Kudo will be fine, trust him."

Finally, he heard Kazuha's voice on the phone: "Can you text me the floor and room number? I am coming now."

* * *

Heiji and Kazuha sat silently outside of the surgery room.

Well, silent except for the Kazuha's sobbing sounds.

Heiji always thought if Kazuha cried, she would make the most loud and shrieking sound.

He didn't expect that she was just sobbing quietly.

It was not the first time that Heiji saw a girl crying. But it was definitely the first time that he felt so helpless and sad himself at the sight of the crying girl.

Her emerald eyes, now watery, looked like lakes.

She must have left in a hurry and didn't have the time, or not in the mood, to tie her signature ponytail. Now that her hair was let down, Heiji was surprised to see how long it was and how soft it looked.

"Shinichi … Aho …Why don't you let me come with you …"

Kazuha finally broke the silence.

"Kazuha-chan …"

Heiji, again, did not know what to respond. Tell her he tried to persuade Kudo to let her come along? Or, tell her Kudo just cared too much about her safety?

But he knew he really wanted to comfort her.

He extended a hand to reach out to her, but stopped midway in the air.

Where should he put it?

Around her shoulder? No, that's too intimate.

Hold her hand? No, too intimate as well.

On her head?

Ok, that's it.

So he gently patted her head.

And that seemed to have worked, as Kazuha finally looked up at him.

"Thank you, Heiji-kun, for taking care of Shinichi." She was still sobbing, but already sounded better than a while ago.

"Of course." Heiji nodded. "He is my best friend."

"Is he … going to be ok?"

"He will." Heiji assured her. His tone was confident and assuring.

Meeting Kazuha's inquiring gaze, he suddenly remembered something.

"Because he has this." He took an omamori (lucky charm) out of his pocket. "Kudo said you made it for him, and he carries it with him wherever he goes."

"I worry so much about his safety …" Kazuha blushed, "And I hope the omamori works …"

"Of course it does." Heiji smiled and handed the omamori over to Kazuha, "Give it back to Kudo when he wakes up."

Kazuha smiled back at him. She had never thought that this hot-blooded detective, whom she had detested for the past few months, could be so gentle and caring in times of need.

"Thank you." She took the omamori from Heiji.

A small picture dropped out.

"Ah …" Kazuha bent down to pick it up from the floor. But before she reached it, the picture was already in Heiji's hands.

Heiji's eyes widened. He couldn't take his eyes off the picture.

"Heiji-kun?" Kazuha was a bit confused when seeing Heiji's expression. He looked surprised.

No, it was more than surprised. To be more accurate, he looked shocked.

And Kazuha swore that within a lapse of seconds, she saw astonishment, happiness, disappointment, sadness, and other unnamed emotions alternating on the tanned face of her boyfriend's best friend.

The Great Detective of the West finally turned his head to look at Kazuha, his hand still holding the picture tight. He opened and closed his mouth, obviously trying to say something, but it was not until after another 30 seconds that he finally uttered:

"Is that … you?"

"Yes." Kazuha smiled, staring at the picture herself. "I was nine at that time."

In the picture, the little Kazuha, in a red kimono, is bouncing a colorful ball under a cherry tree.

"It was taken when Shinichi and I first met in Kyoto." Kazuha blushed, "Shinichi liked the picture so he asked me to put it in the omamori …"

 _Maru take ebisu ni oshi oike_

 _Yome san rokkaku tako nishiki_

... [3]

Kazuha started to sing in a low voice. Her gaze softened, and she forgot about crying.

* * *

The song hit Heiji like a hammer to the chest.

"So it is you, after all …" Heiji murmured, in a voice barely audible.

It's really her.

He had suspected from the very beginning, but he had no proof.

Now, having seen this picture, having heard the song, the last bit of doubt was eliminated.

Kazuha, the girlfriend of his best friend, was the girl he met 10 years ago in Kyoto.

His _hatsukoi_ (first love).

He could never forget the day, when he saw the beautiful little girl in red kimono playing a colorful ball under a cherry tree. Petals of cherry blossoms slowly raining down on her. The wind carrying her crisp voice, singing a nursery rhyme from ancient times.

It was such a mesmerizing scene. He almost believed that he saw a fairy.

And that's exactly the scene in the picture, the picture that his best friend treasured dearly in the omamori, the omamori that the girl made for her boyfriend.

That girl was his first love.

And her boyfriend is his best friend.

For years he had been looking for that girl in his memory, whenever he visited Kyoto.

He always had faith that one day they would meet again.

Yes, they did meet again. But …

* * *

"What did you say?" Kazuha saw Heiji's lips moving, but she couldn't make out what he just said.

"Nothing …" Heiji shook his head, a wry smile on his face.

Looking away from Kazuha, he let out a long sigh, "I mean, Kudo is a lucky guy …"

"What?" Kazuha tilted her head. She had no idea why Heiji said that. Shinichi just got shot. How could he be lucky?

"I mean ... I wish there are someone crying for me when I get hurt …" Heiji turned to look at Kazuha again and forced a smile.

Kazuha smiled. She patted Heiji's head, just like he just patted hers.

"You have a long line of fangirls who would fight to cry for you, if you ever get shot."

"Don't tease me …" Heiji's head lowered.

What could he tell her?

That she was his first love?

No … it will complicate everything. Their friendship, and everything …

My dear first love, you are my best friend's girlfriend.

To be continued ...

* * *

 **What do you think? Please read and review!**

* * *

[1] TV 437, "The Promise from 4 Years Ago."

[2] Movie 21, "The Crimson Love Letter"

[3] Movie 7, "Crossroad in the Ancient Capital"


	3. Chapter 3: Jealousy

**Chapter 3: Jealousy**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any DC characters.**

* * *

 **Ran and Okita both make their appearances in this chapter. To remind my readers, in this story the set up is Ran and Shinichi are still childhood friends, while Kazuha and Okita, instead of Kazuha and Heiji, are childhood friends.**

 **Childhood friends, or more precisely, _osananajimi_ in Japanese, is a complicated relationship. I am glad that in Gosho's world all ****_osananajimi_** **pairs end up as couples. But what if not?**

 **Jealousy flows, in all relationships, and for all kinds of reasons.**

 **Please read and review!**

* * *

To the relief of Kazuha and Heiji, Shinichi's surgery went really well. The doctor said he could be discharged in two days at the most.

"Relieved?" Smilimg, Heiji rubbed Kazuha's head. He liked doing it, and Kazuha didn't protest. So he took it as an ok.

Kazuha nodded.

"You should go home now, Heiji-kun. It has been a long day for you. You know, the case, and then Shinichi …"

"What about you?" Heiji glared at her with a concerned look. _It was hard for her as well. Emotionally, in particular._

"I am staying." Kazuha's gaze didn't leave the sleeping Shinichi, who was still under amnesia, "I want to be there when Shinichi wakes up."

"Then I will stay as well." Heiji crossed his leg, settling into a more comfortable position on the couch in Shinichi's private patient room.

"Ok …" Kazuha did not protest. By now she already knew how stubborn Heiji could be, "Thank you, Heiji-kun."

Both were extremely tired and in no time, they dozed off on the opposite ends of the couch.

* * *

"Kazuha-chan …"

Heiji and Kazuha, who had been napping for a few hours, opened their eyes to a gentle female voice.

A beautiful girl with long hair and sapphire blue eyes.

"May I … take a look at Shinichi?" Blushing, the girl asked for Kazuha's permission with a pleasant, soft voice.

"Of course, Ran-chan …" Kazuha stood up instantly and gave the girl a big hug, "Please stay as much as you want. I will leave you two alone."

With that, she quickly walked to the door. But suddenly remembering that there was yet another person in the room, she turned and waved at Heiji, "Heiji-kun, come out with me, please."

Heiji was still half asleep and didn't quite catch what was happening. But he followed Kazuha out nonetheless.

* * *

"Who is she?" Rubbing his eyes, Heiji let out a big yawn.

Instead of answering the question, Kazuha gave Heiji a naughty wink, "Isn't she beautiful?"

"She is, but …" Heiji was gradually waking up, "But, who is she?"

"Mouri Ran …" The naughty look quickly faded from Kazuha's face. Looking back at the closed door of Shinich's room, she let out an long sigh, "Ran-chan is Shinichi's childhood friend. They grew up together."

"Ok …" Heiji nodded.

But there are a number of things he didn't understand.

"Why do you leave her alone in the room with Kudo?"

"What if Kudo wakes up and sees her but not you?"

"You stayed here because you want to be there when he wakes up, right?"

Bombarded by Heiji's question after question, Kazuha was left speechless for a long minute.

"I haven't told you before, but …" Taking a deep breath, she lowered her eyelids, "But … but Shinichi should be hers …"

"You have no idea, Heiji-kun," A wry smile climbed on her face, "I feel like being the 'other woman' in this relationship …"

 _The other woman?_

 _What does she mean?_

Heiji felt really confused.

Taking another deep breath, Kazuha opened her trembling lips:

"Ran and I used to be best friends. I had no friends when I first transferred to Teitan, and Ran was so kind to help me all along." Recalling their good old days, some sparkles appeared in her emerald eyes.

"Shinichi and her grow up together and everyone thought they were meant to be a couple. Ran also confided in me that she likes Shinichi …" She paused after saying that, and the sparkles quickly faded away.

"But then …then Shinichi started to court me …" Kazuha lowered her head, "I could not accept it in the beginning, because I firmly believed that he should be Ran's. I would not forgive myself for hurting my best friend …"

"But Shinichi courted me for over a year and everyone in school knew about it …" She bit her lips and shook her head. "You have no idea how bad I felt … All the girls hated me. Many are Shinichi's fangirls, and maybe even more are Ran's friends."

"Oh …" Heiji scratched his head and wanted to offer some words of comfort. He could imagine how hard it must have been for Kazuha, to have no close female friends in a new school. But he really had no idea what to say.

"You know, Ran is the most beautiful, most kind-hearted, and most gentle-mannered girl I have ever met. Everybody wants to be her friend … She was so kind to me but …"

Kazuha let out a long sigh, "But my dad wants me to date Shinichi."

"Your dad?" Heiji raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, my dad." Kazuha nodded, "Shinichi always helps my dad solving cases, and my dad thinks very highly of him. When he knew that Shinichi had been courting me, almost everyday he tried to talk to me to accept Shinichi. So … So I accepted him."

Overwhelmed by self-resentment, Kazuha closed her eyes, "And by that, I betrayed Ran-chan, the girl who treated me with nothing but kindness … I stole the boy she loves from her …"

"Am I … a terrible woman?" Kazuha opened her eyes, but still dared not looking at Heiji. Her emerald eyes just got more and more gloomy.

And soon, tears rolled down her porcelain face.

"Of course you are not!" Heiji protested without hesitation. He couldn't understand why Kazuha was so harsh on herself.

"Kazuha, you should know that it is not your fault that Kudo chooses you over his childhood friend!" Now, Heiji came to understand why Shinichi once said Kazuha was too considerate to the extent that she was way too harsh on herself.

"I believe no girl can resist a handsome and smart gentleman like Kudo, who has courted you for over a year, treats you like a queen, and has already won the heart of your dad. Right?" Heiji rubbed Kazuha's head again, and looked at her with a soft gaze that she had never seen from the dark-skinned detective before.

"You didn't betray anyone, really." And he spoke in the most gentle voice she had ever heard from him.

* * *

"Shinichi? Why are you here?" Kazuha's eyes opened wide when she saw Shinichi walked in the cafeteria and sat next to her.

Shinichi recovered really well after being discharged. He returned to school a week later, and the routine of the three resumed. They still had lunch and dinner together whenever they could, and went to movie or amusement park together on weekends whenever they had time.

Of course, the exception was still when the two detectives had cases. Shinichi seemed not bothered or deterred at all by the recent gunshot he just received. Whenever either or both of them received calls from the Metro Police, they would race to the scene together on Heiji's motorbike.

Like always, Shinchi felt apologetic for leaving Kazuha alone at the date, but he never budged when Kazuha begged to go with them.

Over time, quite to Shinichi's relief, Kazuha never asked to go with them again. She would just smile silently and wave them goodbye.

This time, Heiji and he had been trapped in a case for three days in a row.

And they both missed the same girl.

When Shinchi walked in to the cafe today, anyone could tell he was in a very good mood from his big grin. He was happy that the case was closed and he could finally catch up with his girlfriend.

"Why not here? Regular school day, isn't it?" He smiled at his girlfriend.

"It is not a regular day!" Kazuha raised her voice at her boyfriend, "You know today is the final of the Kanto Karate Championship! You should go there and cheer for Ran-chan!"

"Don't worry." He pointed to his cell phone, "I am following the tournament update on FaceBook. As soon as I see Ran wins, I will text her my congratulations."

He pecked a kiss on Kazuha's face, "I would rather spend the time with my girlfriend whom I haven't seen for three days."

"The truth is, you have to go!" Kazuha shunned away from her boyfriend and almost yelled at him.

Both Shinichi and Heiji, who had been sitting silently across the table since Shinichi waked in, looked at Kazuha in surprise. She was apparently angry, but it seemed a bit too excessive.

Seeing the taken-back expression of the two detectives, Kazuha sighed, "Shinichi, I don't understand why you don't want to go to Ran-chan's karate final. You know she would be really happy to see you cheering for her there. If your concern was me, then I can assure you I am not jealous at all if you go!"

"You are not?" Shinichi raised an eyebrow.

 _Shouldn't he be happy to hear that? To have such a considerate girlfriend?_

 _No. It doesn't feel right, somehow …_

"You know I am not the jealous type!" Kazuha grumbled, "And come on, Ran-chan is your childhood friend and childhood friend is a BIG deal!"

Kazuha felt a bit nervous when she saw Shinichi turned his head to the other direction. She reached out and held his hand. "You really should go to Ran-chan's game. You mean a lot to her. It is like I always go to Souji's Kendo games." Her voice softened, "My childhood friend is important to me, as much as yours is important to you, right?"

Shinichi didn't answer. Nor did he look at Kazuha.

There was just dead silence.

"Ok …" Shinichi pulled his hand from Kazuha's and stood up, "If you insist …"

His good mood, by now, had gone completely.

"Shinichi, I will take notes for you at the calculus class later." Kazuha nervously grabbed the cuff of Shinichi's jacket. She saw her boyfriend was not happy, though she didn't exactly know why.

"Never mind." Shinichi shook his head and walked out of the café.

"Let me know how the game goes!" Kazuha called to the back of Shinichi.

* * *

Watching Shinichi leaving the cafe, Kazuha sighed and said to Heiji, who had been sitting quietly across the table, "I actually wanted to see Ran-chan's game as well … But I think Ran-chan will be happier to see Shinichi without me."

"Aho! Why are you not jealous?" Heiji questioned.

"Aho! Why should I?" Kazuha retorted.

Heiji shook his head. He didn't really understand why Kazuha pushed her own boyfriend away to another girl, as much as he didn't understand why Kazuha would rather leave some alone time for Shinichi and Ran.

"Can't you see Kudo is not happy?" Heiji griped, "Being jealous means that you care about him. It is not necessarily a bad thing, in my view."

"But I owe Ran-chan …"

Heiji cut her off: "I thought Kudo said he doesn't want you to blame yourself for Ran's issue. And I agree with him."

"It can't be helped …" Kazuha shook her head with a wry smile. It had been a long time, but she still could not forgive herself for taking Shinichi from Ran.

Heiji sighed, and decided to change the topic. After all, the tense atmosphere between the Kudo couple was also too much for him to bear as well.

"Anyway, the National College Kendo Tournament is next week. You will go to see Okita, right?"

"Yes!" Kazuha's spirit was suddenly lifted at this topic, "I haven't seen Souji in a while. We just talked over the phone last night and I am excited for him!"

"Are you still going to pray that I lose to him?" Heiji scoffed. How could he forget that Kazuha had been praying for him to lose to Okita in the past three years?

"Would you mind?" Kazuha smiled naughtily. She already forgot all about the awkward moment with her boyfriend a moment ago.

"Yes, I do mind." Heiji nodded. He was serious.

"I am sorry, Heiji-kun," Kazuha chuckled. She didn't notice the seriousness in Heiji's tone, assuming he was joking, "I know we are friends now, but Souji and I go way back."

"Just be careful with your behavior then." Heiji warned her sternly.

"What do you mean?" Kazuha's eyes narrowed. Now she smelled some unfriendliness in the air.

"Let me spell it out more clearly. When you meet Okita, don't do anything that will make Kudo jealous." Heiji said slowly and affirmatively, his gaze almost appeared solemn.

"Shinichi will not be jealous!" Kazuha's eyes widened and she protested without a thought.

 _How could this aho judge her boyfriend like that?_

"He will. I know him." Heiji sneered, "And as I just said, being jealous is not a bad thing. It means he cares about you."

Kazuha gaped.

"You think you know Shinichi better than I do?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I do." Heiji's voice was still affirmative. His gaze, which was as affirmative, made Kazuha feeling really uncomfortable.

"Kazuha-chan, there are a lot of things you don't know about Kudo but I do, even though you have known him for much longer than I have."

"And trust me, Kudo is the jealous type." With that, the dark-skinned detective stood up and walked out of the café.

Kazuha was left speechless.

 _What did she do wrong today? To have both boys walk out on her in anger?_

* * *

"Sou—ji-!" Kazuha ran to Okita as fast as she could as soon as she saw him appearing at the gym.

"Kazuha!" Okita smiled at his dear childhood friend and gave her a big hug, "Miss me?"

"Of course I miss you!" Kazuha also gave her childhood friend a big hug, with a big, bright smile that could melt anyone's heart.

But the happy reunion of the long-time-no-see childhood friends were quickly interrupted, as a certain dark-skinned samurai who appeared from nowhere suddenly picked up Kazuha, carried her on his shoulder, and walked away before anybody recovered from the shock of the scene.

"What are you doing! Aho! Put me down! Aho!" Kazuha used all her might to break away from iron grip of Heiji. But gosh, the dark-skinned boy was certainly strong!

Seeing there was nobody was around them, Heiji finally put down Kazuha, "It is a question I should ask you! What are YOU doing there?"

"As you can see, I was talking to Souji! I haven't seen Souji for a long time and you rude black octopus just interrupted us!" Kazuha crossed her arms. She was really, really annoyed that her reunion with Okita was intervened so rudely by a certain aho.

"Souji Souji Souji!" Crossing his arm as well, Heiji yelled back at his best friend's girlfriend, "Can't you see Kudo is in the audience? He has been watching you guys flirting all the time!"

"Flirting?" Kazuha's eyes opened wide and Heiji could see fire spitting out of her emerald orbs, "Watch your mouth! Aho! How can you say that about us? Souji and I have been like that forever!"

"Then now it is time to stop acting like that!" Heiji did not budge. He decided to give the naive girl a lesson to respect the feelings of her poor boyfriend, aka, his best friend. "Remember you have a boyfriend! I already warned you not to do anything that will make Kudo jealous!"

"Yes I am aware that I have a boyfriend, but it doesn't mean I cannot continue hanging out with my childhood friend!"

"Okita is a guy!"

"I am aware that Souji is a guy! So what!" Kazuha felt having a headache. How come she could not communicate with this aho! Are they speaking different languages?

* * *

"Kazuha! Hattori! Here you are!" The obviously confused Okita finally found the bickering dual. He had been confused since his dear childhood friend was carried away in such a dramatic manner, and without warning, by his long-time opponent.

"Are you guys fighting about something?" Okita sensed the tension in the air. It couldn't be more obvious, with both of them shooting each other angry gazes non-stopping.

"This aho is unreasonable!" They yelled at each other in unison.

Kazuha gaped.

"Souji, make sure you win by a landslide." Throwing Heiji a last glance of contempt, Kazuha took the arm of her childhood friend and excused them from the presence of the Great Detective of the West, aka, the aho.

"Kazuha! Wait!"

Kazuha just ignored the dark skinned samurai, not even looking back once.

* * *

The kendo final today was definitely the show-down of the century.

To everyone's surprise, Okita Souji VIII, aka, the heir to the greatest samurai clan of Japan, lost to his long-time opponent Hattori Heiji, who had had been the runner-up three years in a row while in high school.

Everyone could see the Detective of the West and newly crowned Kendo champion was unusually aggressive today.

Only Heiji himself knew why he was so charged.

 _"Every year I go to Kiyomizutera to pray you lose to Souji."_

 _"Souji and I have been like that forever!"_

 _"Souji, make sure you win by a landslide."_

Kazuha's words made him angry.

No, he was not angry. He was furious.

He was furious on behalf his best friend. He couldn't stand seeing his best friend's girl being so intimate with another man.

Today, he, more than any time in any of their games in the past, just wanted to win Okita.

So he did it.

* * *

"Congratulations, Hattori." Taking off his mask, Okita came over to congratulate Heiji. "You definitely become a lot stronger." He smiled at his opponent with dignity. His shoulder actually got badly injured, but he managed to keep his composure as an honorable samurai.

"Souji! Is your shoulder alright?"

Before Heiji could respond to Okita, the familiar, high-pitched female voice came near.

"I am fine." Okita smiled at his childhood friend. Kazuha always made a big fuss over his injuries and he had been used to it. But it was always nice to see how much she worried about him.

"Let me see." Kazuha, who came prepared with a first aid box as always, didn't believe her best friend. She saw how hard Heiji's katana struck Okita's shoulder and she almost cried at that time.

Without further due, she gently took Okita's left collar and revealed his bare shoulder.

"You are not fine." She gasped when she saw the status of the wound. Very skillfully, she used alcohol swabs to clean up the wound, applied antibiotic ointment, and bandaged Okita's shoulder carefully.

"Better?" Once done, she inquired her friend, who just comfortably received the medical care of his long-term personal nurse.

"Better." Okita smiled at Kazuha. Of course better. Kazuha had been attending his wounds since they were kids. She knew exactly what to do when he got hurt.

"It is my job." Kazuha smiled at her best friend brightly, and gave him a gentle pat on his other, unwounded shoulder.

"I think you should also check out Hattori." Okita pointed to the Heiji, who walked away the moment Kazuha came by, "The inside of his left ear got badly injured. He could use your help."[1]

"I don't want to." Kazuha pouted, "You saw how rude that guy was to me, and to you as well."

"Well," Okita rubbed Kazuha's head with brotherly affection, "A genuine samurai forgives."

* * *

Reluctantly, Kazuha took her medical kit and walked to where Heiji was sitting.

"What." Heiji squinted, with a small pout.

"Let me take a look at your left ear." Kazuha put down her medical kit and gave Heiji an annoyed look, "Souji said the inside of it was injured."

"Go worry about Okita." Heiji snorted.

Somehow, finally defeating Okita today didn't make him as happy as he thought he would be. The joy of victory was fleeting, as he felt defeated the moment Kazuha ran over to Okita to with that precious, worried look of her.

He felt he had lost in another game, a game that he probably cared even more.

"I don't know why you are so mad at me." Kazuha gave the newly crowned kendo master an angry glance. But still, she sat next to him, "Anyway, just show me your ear."

Heiji didn't protest this time. As the moment her hands touched his ear, his felt a sensation of tingling radiating throughout his body.

It was a really, really pleasant sensation.

A sensation that brought heavy blush to his tanned face.

"Better?"

It was a minor wound as compared with Okita's shoulder injury, so Kazuha finished very quickly.

Heiji only wished his injury was more serious so it could take her longer. Or better to have more injuries at whatever parts of his body.

He wanted to feel her soft hands more. Much more.

"Thank you …" He lowered his head, afraid that the girl would notice his blushing face. Well, he obviously forgot his skin tone was a good cover for that.

"You are welcome." Kazuha let out a sigh of relief. Frankly speaking, she didn't want to bicker with Heiji as she knew their fight will give Shinichi a hard time. But this time it was really not her fault. It was this unreasonable aho who picked the fight.

Whatever. At least she was relieved that she didn't have to argue with him anymore.

"Do you want to have dinner together?" Standing up, Kazuha extended a friendly gesture to Heiji, "The four of us. Us three plus Souji."

But unfortunately, that did not sound like friendly to Heiji.

"Pass." With a cold voice, Heiji stood up suddenly and snorted. He knew he was not himself today. But it couldn't be helped. He was just angry whenever Kazuha said "Souji" in such an intimate way.

"What's wrong with you?" Kazuha couldn't believe it. She thought they were finally on good terms now. What's wrong with this aho to turn down such a friendly offer!

"You want to know why?" Heiji turned back and yelled at the girl at the top of his voice, "I just don't want to see you flirting with that Okita guy in front of me!"

 _ **SLAP**_

The kendo champion, before receiving his medal today, received a bright, red palm print on his cheek.

Kazuha was trembling. Actually, she was on the verge of crying.

 _Why would this aho insult her again and again?_

 _She was nothing but nice to him today!_

* * *

"Kazuha! Hattori!" The real boyfriend Shinichi finally showed up. He saw them from afar and had no idea what happened exactly. He was thinking about having dinner together to celebrate Heiji's victory, but now it seemed like "together" was off topic …

"Shinichi." Kazuha wiped the tears that were about to roll out of her eyes, "From now on, please don't bring me when you hang out with this aho." With that, she turned back and ran away as fast as she could.

"Kazuha!" Shinichi quickly grabbed the hand of his girlfriend and ran after her. He felt bad that he hadn't yet congratulated his best friend's victory. But now the most important task was definitely to comfort and appease his girlfriend. Kazuha's tears hurt him more than anything.

* * *

Later that day, the kendo champion didn't appear at the award ceremony.

To be continued ...

* * *

 **What do you think? Will Heiji and Kazuha make up after this fight? Please read and review!**

* * *

[1]Vol. 31, File 8, "The Swordsman from Osaka."


End file.
